BEE International Blog

Producing effective dispersions is a challenge that many industries – including pharmaceutical, biotech, and cosmetic – face on a continuous basis. In the growing world of dispersions, cell lysis,  micronization of particles, and other applications requiring the use of a homogenizer, bridging the gap between R&D and manufacturing is a costly and often unsuccessful challenge.

BEE International has extensive experience in the field of development and production of homogenization equipment, suitable for virtually any application, beginning from the early stages of planning, research and development work, and scale up, all the way to final implementation and production.

When it comes to producing dispersions, it is a task that requires much preparation, foresight, and planning, but with proper preparation, knowledge, and tools, it is a satisfying and profitable endeavor.

Replicating dispersion in a large-scale production environment that has been successfully implemented in a smaller laboratory setting can be difficult. Even when a satisfactory particle size has been achieved, when produced on a larger scale, it may not have the same qualities and characteristics as what was created in the laboratory setting. Inconsistencies can be observed in many areas, including (but not limited to):

• Differing size and/or densities of media
• Differing throughput rates of media
• Mill wear and changes in millbase viscosity
• Dispersion at differing speed/rate/power

The process of dispersion requires a high level of attention to detail, accurate input variables, and consistent design criteria. BEE International offers high quality laboratory systems that address and standardize all of the numerous factors that can affect a scaled up dispersion process. Our homogenizers, including the Nano DeBEE 45-2, Micro DeBEE 45, and Mini DeBEE 30, are built for reliability and repeatability, and are able to keep up with the high pace of a full-scale 24/7 manufacturing environment.  

Our pilot plant homogenizers, designed for scaling up homogenization, micronization, and dispersion from the R&D stage all the way to full-blown production, can be customized to fit your schedule, production needs, and budget.  Our homogenizers include key features for successful  scaling of dispersions, including:

• Low-High operating pressure from 5,000-45,000psi
• PLC panel to control process pressure, temperature, and other parameters
• Constant process pressure
• Custom process configurations to enable control of shear and impact
• Adjustable back pressure
• Heat exchangers for cooling of product
• Guaranteed scale up from R&D to manufacturing

BEE International’s DeBEE 2000, our pilot scale high pressure homogenizer, contains a 10 horsepower motor which converts hydraulic power through high pressure cylinders. The unit is capable of reaching up to 45,000psi and is suitable for the scale up needs of most major manufacturing industries.

Contact us for more information on our pilot plant homogenizers and other equipment to meet your dispersion scale up needs. 

For more information on key factors to consider when choosing a cell lysis method, check out our FREE eBook today: 

Homogenization is the process of reducing particle size of molecules to aid in more efficient and higher quality emulsions and dispersions. This technique is used across numerous industries: pharmaceutical, biotech, cosmetic, drug, and food. However, before you begin your search for the right homogenizer to perform the task at hand, it is important to understand the world of emulsions and dispersions: what are they? How are they created? What are the differences between them? Although the terms are often used interchangeably, there are some key differences between the two. Continue reading to learn more about dispersions and emulsions and how to choose the correct homogenizer for your industry’s needs.

Emulsions

An emulsion is defined as a heterogeneous system consisting of two liquids that are incapable of being mixed together. One example of a possible emulsion would be a mixture of oil and water – two immiscible liquids. To prevent the liquids from separating out – as they tend to do – a third liquid, called a surfactant, is added. The surfactant works to prevent the liquids from separating, and allows one liquid to be evenly dispersed into the other. When oil is the liquid that is dispersed, the emulsion is classified as an oil-in-water emulsion. Conversely, when water is the liquid that is dispersed, the emulsion is known as a water-in-oil dispersion.

Dispersions

Dispersions are also known as suspensions, and consist of solid particles – ranging anywhere from 0.001 micrometers to 1 micrometer -- distributed evenly throughout a continuous medium. Examples of dispersions include ink, dyes, and even food items, like barbecue sauce. While the process of dispersing is often referred to as grinding or milling, no particle grinding actually occurs. Instead, equipment like colloid mills, sand mills, or high pressure homogenizers are used to create dispersions.

Choosing the Right Homogenizer for your Needs

When creating a dispersion or emulsion for your industry’s application, it is important to choose a high quality homogenizer. A good high pressure homogenizer uses a large amount of energy to create emulsions, which means that less surfactant is needed to get the job done.  Similarly, when creating dispersions, high pressure homogenizers are highly efficient at creating very small particle sizes.

BEE International Homogenizers

BEE International has a number of high quality homogenizers to meet the needs of your industry. Our homogenizers work for virtually every setting, including laboratories, pilot plants, and industrial production. Contact us today to learn more about how our high pressure homogenizers can meet your specialized needs.

For more information on particle size reduction and how to achieve efficient and consistent results, download our FREE eBook:

Homogenization, also known as micronization or particle size reduction, is an incredibly common process that is shared by numerous industries, including pharmaceutical, biotech, cosmetic, food, and drug. In the cosmetic industry, for example, homogenization is used when an even mixture — or dispersion — of an active ingredient is desired within a lotion or cream.

The first step to creating an even dispersion is ensuring that solids are efficiently mixed with liquids. This task is not always an easy one, and comes with its own sets of challenges:

• Instability
• Agglomeration
• Inability to Reduce Particle Size
• Contamination

BEE International Equipment 

At BEE International, we offer a high quality line of homogenizers that can meet the needs of your industry while avoiding the common occurrences and challenges that come with the field of homogenization. Our systems are designed to produce even dispersions and emulsions, and are suitable for virtually every application, from small scale laboratory applications all the way to pilot plants and 24/7 industrial operations. 

Our laboratory homogenizers include the Nano DeBEE, Micro DeBEE, and Mini DeBEE, which are perfect for a smaller laboratory setting and offer capabilities for emulsions, dispersions, cell rupture, and more. Our line of laboratory homogenizers offer these additional benefits:

• Capacity of up to 400 mL/min and 22 L/hr
• Maximum operating pressures of up to 45,000 psi (3,100 bar)
• Equipped with spare parts and tools
• Results are scalable and repeatable
• Easy to clean, use, and maintain

Our pilot and industrial homogenizers offer even more flexibility, and are suitable for the ever-growing needs of pilot plants and industrial applications. Our pilot plant and industrial homogenizers include the DeBEE 2000, DeBEE 3000, and DeBEE 4000; these homogenizers come equipped with our unique intensifier technology, and offer unprecedented reliability and versatility. Other benefits include:

• Constant pressure with electronic synchronization
• Numerous cylinder sizes available to meet pressure capacities
• Unique Clean in Place (CIP) technology
• PLC controlled homogenizers
• Synchronized pump system for constant pressure
• Menu guided maintenance and calibration

Other features of our homogenizers include:

• Better particle packing
• Dense and uniform distribution of materials
• Improved bioavailability of pharmaceutical suspensions
• Elimination of un-dissolved polymer components

Contact us today at BEE International to learn more about our line of high pressure homogenizers, and how our equipment can work to meet the needs of your industry. Our FREE eBook, “7 Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Cell Lysis Method” is also available for download:

Increasing the scale of production is a challenge that many industries – including pharmaceutical, biotech, and cosmetic – face on a continuous basis. In the growing world of dispersions, cell lysis, micronization of particles, and other applications requiring the use of a homogenizer, bridging the gap between R&D and manufacturing is a costly and often unsuccessful challenge.

BEE International has extensive experience in the field of development and production of homogenization equipment, suitable for virtually any application, beginning from the early stages of planning, research and development work, and scale up, all the way to final implementation and production.

Scaling the production of dispersions is an event that takes much preparation, foresight, and planning, but with proper preparation, knowledge, and tools, it is a satisfying and profitable endeavor.

Replicating dispersion in a large-scale production environment that has been successfully implemented in a smaller laboratory setting can be difficult. Even when a satisfactory particle size has been achieved, when produced on a larger scale, it may not have the same qualities and characteristics as what was created in the laboratory setting. Inconsistencies can be observed in many areas, including (but not limited to):

• Differing size and/or densities of media
• Differing throughput rates of media
• Mill wear and changes in millbase viscosity
• Dispersion at differing speed/rate/power

The process of dispersion requires a high level of attention to detail, accurate input variables, and consistent design criteria. BEE International offers high quality laboratory systems that address and standardize all of the numerous factors that can affect a scaled up dispersion process. Our homogenizers, including the Nano DeBEE 45-2, Micro DeBEE 45, and Mini DeBEE 30, are built for reliability and repeatability, and are able to keep up with the high pace of a full-scale 24/7 manufacturing environment.  

Our pilot plant homogenizers, designed for scaling up homogenization, micronization, and dispersion from the R&D stage all the way to full-blown production, can be customized to fit your schedule, production needs, and budget.  Our homogenizers include key features for successful  scaling of dispersions, including:

• Low-High operating pressure from 5,000-45,000psi
• PLC panel to control process pressure, temperature, and other parameters
• Constant process pressure
• Custom process configurations to enable control of shear and impact
• Adjustable back pressure
• Heat exchangers for cooling of product
• Guaranteed scale up from R&D to manufacturing

BEE International’s DeBEE 2000, our pilot scale high pressure homogenizer, contains a 10 horsepower motor which converts hydraulic power through high pressure cylinders. The unit is capable of reaching up to 45,000psi and is suitable for the scale up needs of most major manufacturing industries.

Contact us for more information on our pilot plant homogenizers and other equipment to meet your dispersion scale up needs. For more information on cell lysis methods and how to pick the right one for your application, download our FREE eBook:

The term “particle size reduction” means exactly that - the process of reducing average particle size in a given substance.  

Homogenization is one kind of particle size reduction. It is a process that uses mechanical force to break down particles or droplets in a liquid into smaller and more uniform sizes. The result of homogenization is a dispersion, where fine particles of one substance are scattered throughout another substance.

Dispersions can be further classified by the sizes of these scattered particles:

1. Solution: a homogenous mixture with tiny particles of a molecular size (e.g. sugar in water).
2. Suspension: a heterogeneous mixture with large particles that will often settle out on standing or can be filtered out (e.g. sand in water).
3. Colloid: a mixture that is somewhere in between a solution and a suspension. An emulsion is a type of colloid and is a mixture of two immiscible (unmixable) liquids. The first liquid forms tiny particles scattered throughout the second liquid. Oil and water, for example, will form an opaque suspension when mixed, but will separate on standing (1).

Particle size reduction through homogenization has countless applications in many industries including food, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, cosmetic and more. A common example of a homogenized liquid is milk. In the days before homogenization, milk naturally separated and a layer of fatty cream would rise to the top; leaving what was essentially skim milk below. Homogenization is used to break up the fat globules into smaller droplets so that they remain suspended in the milk, creating an even, homogenous mixture (2).

BEE International: Your Partner in Particle Size Reduction

BEE International is the supplier of high pressure homogenizers. The BEEI difference lies in the fact that we synergistically combine and fine-tune all available mechanical forces (including turbulence, cavitation, shear, impact and process intensity) in order to produce the best possible product for you. We produce a tight distribution of small, uniform particles every time. Depending on your product, benefits include a longer shelf life, increased bioavailability, improved sensory characteristics, and greater productivity and lower manufacturing costs due to fewer passes.  

Our laboratory, pilot and industrial homogenizers all produce reliable and consistent particle size reduction. Contact us and we would be excited to develop a customized solution just right for you.

Want to know more about particle size reduction? Download our FREE eBook: How to Achieve Efficient & Consistent Particle Size Reduction

Industrial homogenizers provide large-scale mixing and particle size reduction for products that are being manufactured to consumers. Dispersions, solutions made of small solid particles mixed into a liquid phase, frequently comprise these products. As such, an industrial homogenizer is considered an ideal process for synthesis of dispersions.

Keep reading to learn about specific ways this process can maximize the efficiency of its dispersions.

Decreased Particle Size for Enhanced Function

The size of the particles comprising a dispersion have a major say in its ability to function effectively. Smaller particle size is desirable, as it allows the product to perform more effectively, efficiently, and safely. For example, the industrial homogenizer from BEE International Technologies touts unmatched particle size reduction, in that it can achieve 100 nanometers or less. This capability is unique among even the highest quality homogenizers on the market, and their products should be your first visit along the search for an industrial homogenizer.

Increased Chemical Stability

Because a dispersion consists of two immiscible liquids, its synthesis process needs to be able to yield a stable product that won’t separate over time. Industrial homogenizers use high shear and other mechanical forces that allow for powerful mixing; it is so powerful, in fact, that it can create chemical stability among otherwise incompatible ingredients. Lotions, ointments, milk, and cheese spreads are just a handful of products that benefit from this characteristic.

Uniform Consistency & Size

Critical to product appearance, stability, shelf life, safety, efficacy, and digestibility is uniformity. As such, this quality can have a significant impact on the product’s overall quality and consumer appeal. Uniformity, in terms of consistency and size, can be accomplished by using an industrial homogenizer. Its ability to blend, cut, and macerate a sample makes it preferable over most other blending methods on the market. (1)

Product Recommendation: BEEI Industrial Homogenizer

Indicted for its ability to achieve impressive particle size reduction, the BEEI industrial homogenizer sets an impressive standard for the homogenization equipment industry. Their homogenizers contain proprietary technology as well as a proprietary pumping system that allows for tighter end products and a constant system, and their homogenizer operating pressure ranges up to the highest available in few passes.

In addition, BEEI has extensive experience assisting its product users as they transition through the drug development process, starting at R&D, through clinical trials, and into the critical period of manufacturing to customers.

If you're ready to see how our industrial homogenizers can benefit your dispersion application, contact us today! Or if you're interested in reading more about how to efficiently and consistently achieve perfect particle size reduction, download our FREE eBook: